Extreme weather conditions can cause significant damage to transport infrastructure, including railways, and disrupt its services. In this context, rainfall-induced landslides have been extensively studied with respect to failure probability; however, predicting the probability of damage to railway infrastructure remains challenging due to inadequate documentation of historical damage records from past extreme events. To address such data gaps, a hybrid data approach is proposed to quantify the physical vulnerability of railway embankments to rainfall-induced landslides, accounting for multiple damage states. In this study, the volume of a landslide is considered an appropriate damage indicator, and cumulative rainfall is used to assess the impact of rainfall-induced landslides on a railway embankment. The proposed integrated method includes maximum likelihood and best-fit regression to derive the fragility function, and Monte Carlo simulation is employed to estimate uncertainty in soil capacity. Data from a real case scenario in the Sri Lankan railways is used to demonstrate the application of the proposed method. Key parameters influencing rainfall-induced slope failure are identified to predict the fragility of rainfall-induced landslides in natural slope railway embankments using cumulative rainfall, with particular reference to small-scale events where landslide volume is less than 1000 m3. The application can be extended to assess the vulnerability of slope structures and earthworks and, ultimately, to support the development of resilient transportation infrastructure systems, provided that standardized data documentation and appropriate local data representation are adopted.
The moment-resisting reinforced concrete (RC) frame infilled with masonry walls is a common form of construction for low- to medium-rise buildings. The importance of considering the infill masonry walls (IMW) in seismic analysis is accentuated due to the interaction between infills and the surrounding frame. Several analytical IMW models have been proposed to model IMW as equivalent diagonal struts, and the appropriateness of those models has been justified through experimental and numerical calibrations. However, the reliability of those analytical models is not well substantiated. Therefore, the reliabilities of five different analytical models have been evaluated herein using the First-Order Reliability Method (FORM). The stochastic uncertainties involved in predicting the in-plane capacities of IMW-RC frames have been incorporated in the reliability analyses. Subsequently, reliabilities of IMW models have been ascertained using experimental data sets compiled at two different scales, namely (1) single story-single bay and (2) multistory IMW-RC frames. 120 experimental data sets of single story-single bay IMW-RC frames tested under in-plane loading and three multistory IMW-RC frames tested on shake-tables were used to assess the reliabilities of IMW models. The results showed that the IMW models considered have predicted the in-plane behavior of IMW-RC frames (single or multistory) to certain levels of accuracy. The predicted reliability indices (beta values) of the models vary between 1.03 and 4.13. The reliabilities differ when different aspects of the predictions are being considered, such as peak or ultimate load and drift capacities of single story-single bay frames or base shear and story drift of multistory frames. Therefore, depending on the requirement (strength- or displacement-based design), the IMW models should be selected appropriately to carry out the seismic analyses of IMW-RC buildings.
PurposeThis study aims to examine how exploratory and exploitative innovation interact with the management practice of centralisation and environmental dynamism to shape firm performance in an emerging market. It responds to limitations of universal direct-effect and contingency models by adopting a configurationally informed perspective to capture the interdependent effects of structure, managerial routines and environmental conditions.Design/methodology/approachA configuration-based theoretical model was developed and tested using survey data from 127 managerial respondents across Sri Lankan firms. The survey instrument was pre-tested and pilot-tested before administration. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess direct effects and hypothesised two-way and three-way interaction effects among innovation types, centralisation and environmental dynamism.FindingsBoth exploratory and exploitative innovation exhibit strong and statistically significant negative direct effects on firm performance. Contrary to expectations, centralisation, conceptualised as a management practice, does not significantly moderate the innovation-performance relationship, nor do higher-order interaction effects involving environmental dynamism receive empirical support. The findings indicate that innovation-related performance risks dominate structural and contextual contingency effects in the examined emerging-market context.Research limitations/implicationsFindings highlight the value of configurational theorising in innovation research by clarifying the empirical boundaries of contingency and configurational arguments in emerging markets. Rather than demonstrating stable interaction effects, the study shows that innovation-performance relationships may be driven primarily by direct cost and risk dynamics. Future research should examine additional organisational practices, such as culture, learning orientation and market orientation, using longitudinal and comparative designs to better understand the interdependent mechanisms shaping innovation outcomes across emerging economies.Originality/valueThis study advances scholarship by reframing centralisation as a core management practice rather than a structural attribute and by empirically demonstrating the limits of its conditioning role in innovation performance outcomes. It provides rare empirical evidence from a South Asian emerging market, offering a contextually grounded understanding of how managerial routines relate to, rather than systematically condition, exploratory and exploitative innovation performance under conditions of institutional volatility and resource constraint.
Expansive soil slopes are sensitive to climatic variations due to their swell-shrinkage behaviour during wetting and drying cycles, reducing shear strength, leading to failures. In recent decades, the use of geosynthetics and chemical stabilization techniques has gained attention for improving the performance and long-term stability of expansive soil slopes. However, research on the combined use of these methods remains limited. This study evaluates the effectiveness of integrating geogrid reinforcement with chemical stabilization across various slope geometries and soil types, aiming to achieve the required factor of safety (FOS) while minimizing costs. Slope stability analyses were conducted using finite element method (FEM)-based PLAXIS 2D and limit equilibrium method (LEM)-based SLOPE/W, with material properties obtained from laboratory experiments. A comprehensive parametric study considered slope heights (4–16 m), slope angles (30°–75°), soil types (moderately and highly expansive), stabilization lengths (0.7–2.0 times slope height), geogrid spacings (1.0, 0.5, and 0.25 m), and chemical binders (ordinary Portland cement (OPC), lime, and fly ash (FA)). The results indicate that chemical stabilization alone is effective only for milder slopes (slope angle < 45°). In addition, compared to geogrid stabilization alone, the combined application of geogrids and chemical binders allows larger maximum spacing for the given stabilization lengths, especially for steeper slopes (slope angle > 45°). Overall, while the use of a single stabilization method suffices for milder slopes (slope angle < 45°), the combination of geogrid + lime provides the most efficient and cost-effective solution for steeper expansive soil slopes (slope angle > 45°).
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the prevailing expectations of key stakeholders concerning nonfinancial reporting (NFR) assurance in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative, exploratory design. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews with assurance providers, preparers and users of nonfinancial reports. The interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify and interpret patterns in stakeholder expectations.FindingsThe findings indicate that stakeholder expectations of NFR assurance in Sri Lanka are primarily shaped by procedural and governance considerations, with limited emphasis on value-adding roles. Assurance providers emerge as the most salient stakeholders, with their expectations largely defining the scope, methods and visibility of assurance engagements. Users exert minimal influence, often adopting expectations from other stakeholder groups that are sometimes aspirational or weakly informed, while reporters adopt a comparatively passive role. These dynamics are reinforced by structural and contextual factors, producing an assurance environment guided more by institutional feasibility than by user-driven needs.Originality/valueThis study advances research on NFR assurance by integrating stakeholder salience, stakeholder expectations, contextual factors and assurance orientations within a single analytical framework. In doing so, it extends stakeholder theory in this context by conceptualizing expectation formation as practice-mediated, whereby prevailing stakeholder expectations are shaped through repeated engagement with assurance outputs and by surrounding contextual conditions, rather than arising solely from formal stakeholder position.
